The subject matter disclosed herein relates to containment structures and, more particularly, to an airfoil containment structure that includes a notched and tapered inner shell.
Gas turbine engines, and particularly turbofan engines used in aircraft, have a fan with a hub and a plurality of fan blades disposed for rotation about a central axis. It is common to include a generally cylindrical fan case about a periphery of the fan for containing objects, such as the fan blade.
For smaller diameter engines, adequate containment capability may be achieved with a metallic, hard-wall, case. However, for larger diameter engines, “soft-wall” containment systems may be used.
In soft-wall systems, a lightweight, high strength ballistic fabric is wrapped in multiple layers around a relatively thin support structure. Conventional support structures may be fabricated of aluminum based on weight considerations. The support structure may include aluminum honeycomb structures.